Dredging device.



J. LQ SEARPOSS.

DREDGING-DBVIGE.

` APPLICATION FILED Am. so, 1904.

PATENTED JUNE 20, 1905.

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PATENT OEEICE.

` DREDGING DEVICE.

SPECFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 792,796, dated June 20, 1905.

Application iilediApril 30, 1904. Serial No. 205,838.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that LJOSEPH LYoNs SEARFoss, a resident of the city of Providence, 1n the county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dredging Devices; and Ido hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and eXact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the numerals of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in dredging-machines, and has for its object the construction of simple, practical, and effective means for successfully operating that style of dredging bucket commonly known as the clam shell bucket and f orange peel bucket or other pole-operated dredging or eX- cavating bucket.

This invention is an improvement on my device described and illustrated in my application filed February 19,1904, Serial No.194,328.

The old methods heretofore employed have i been unsuccessful in operating the above-mentioned class of bucket for dredging in rough water or on a hard bottom, as poles have to be used to guide the bucket while being raised and lowered, and when the bottom is at all hard the bucket has to be held down rigidly by said poles in order to make the jaws bite into the substance on which it rests. While dredging in rough water the waves raise and lower the dredging-scow, causing the bucket to be lifted clear of the bottom and then dropped down again with great force, often bending and breaking its poles or raising the boom, and its work is very unsatisfactory and in many cases impossible. When the bucket isdropped to the bottom of the river, its jaws are open to the extreme nearly at yright angles to the line of thepoles. As it Vlies on the bottom in this position it is held down by said poles, and when the bucket rests on a gravel or hard sandy bottom and the power is applied to close the jaws its edges must necessarily be forced down into the material or something above must give away and allow the poles to be forced upward. The latter result is usually the case, rendering the work of this class of bucket under these conditions very ineffective. Then. again, it is found in practice very difficult to dig on the side of an inclined bank with the ordinary clam-shell type of bucket, as oftentimes one of the jaws only will engage the bank at a time and in closing the bucket a great side strain is necessarily brought upon the poles. To obviate this difiiculty, I have hung the bucket and its actuating mechanism on a pivot at the ends of the supporting-poles. so that said bucket can swing and accommodate itself to any irregularity in the surface of the substance it must engage.

Another object of the invention is to regulate the tension or pressure on the bucket through poles, which is done by gripping or binding yokes described in my above-mentioned application.

Another object of this invention is to providean automatically-adjustable supportingarm which is designed to engage the bucketpoles near the waters edge and serves to stiifen and prevent said poles from bending and breaking.

The invention consists of other novel features and parts and combinations of the same, as will be fully described hereinafter and then pointed out in the appended claims.

A practical embodiment of the invention is represented in the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar-.characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation showing the arrangement of my improved attachments to a dredging-machine. Fig. 2 illustrates the automatic lockingdevice on the supporting-arm. Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation illustrating the manner of pivotally hanging the said bucket on the end of said poles, said bucket being partly broken away. Fig. 4 is a side `elevation of the same. Fig. 5 illustrates the bucket as engaging an irregular bank and being thrown off` at an angle, which is possible by the use of my improved method of holding said bucket. Fig'. 6 shows a detail of the brake and handle for controlling the downward tension on the boom. Fig. 7 is a plan view of the platform and the mechanism mounted thereon for gripping the poles.

In the drawings, 1 denotes the dredgingscow, which is shown in section and on which all of the operating mechanism is carried. At 2 is the boom, which is pivotally held at 3 on -the collar 4, which collar is held to rotate around a hollow center plate 5, that is secured to the deck of the scow. Said boom 2 is set on an angle to the deck of said scow and supported in position from the mast 6 by the supporting-rods 7 and 8. On the outer end of this boom is a platform 9, on which is supported and secured the mechanism for gripping and holding the poles of the bucket. These bucket-poles 10 project upward through the locking mechanism on the platform 9 and are necessarily very long, so that they canv drop the bucket to the bottom of the river. Secured to this platform 9 is the fixed jaw 11 of the grip-yoke, (see Fig. 7 which is bolted to said platform. At 12 is the reciprocating jaw on the opposite side of the poles, which jaw is arranged to slide laterally `ln`the guides 45 45 and engage or release said poles. These guides 45 are secured to either side of the platform by suitable fastenings. Guide-pins 46 46 are secured to said reciprocating jaw and extend through corresponding holes in the fixed jaw, one on either end of the same. Cranks 13 13 are mounted on the shaft 47 and are connected to the lug 48 of the reciprocating jaw 12 by the connections 49 49. At 50 is the outwardly-extending arm, on which is adjustably secured the counterbalance-weight 51. The grooved pulley 14 is mounted on and fixed to the shaft 47, which shaft is supported at either end on bearings 52 52. At 16 is a pulley which is held to slide or roll on a circular track 17, located at the front end of the scow. The wire rope 15 has a'turn around the pulley 14 with one end fixed thereto and is led down around the pulley 16, up over the pulley 17, that is mounted on the boom 2, and back over pulley 18,` thence down through the hollow center plate 5, over pulley 19 to the winding-drum 20. 1t will be Aobserved that this liexible rope thus, arranged will draw and hold the boom down andV prevent it from rising, and said rope by this arrangement will always lead fairly from the center and follow the ever-changing position of the boom to act upon it squarely and draw from directly beneath it in whatever position said boom may he. The drum on which this rope is wound to receive its tension is driven from the gear 21 through the pinion 22 and is controlled in its speed and tension by the action of a suitable brake, such as that illustrated in Fig. 6, which is under the constant control of the operator. The gear 21 is mounted on the main shaft 23, on which shaft is also mounted' the drum 24, that controls the opening and closing of the bucket through the fiexible rope 25. At 8is an additional supporting'- rod for the boom 2 to prevent said boom from springing when the tension is applied on the flexible rope 15 to draw said boom down or hold it from rising.

At 26 is an arm for supporting the poles to keep them from bending and breaking and may be made in any suitable form to engage the bucket-poles at one end and have its opposite, end adjustably supported from the boom 2. This arm may be made double, so

it will straddle both the boom 2 and ,the tension-cable 15, or it may be made single and engage one side of the boom only; ,but in either case it engages and supports both poles. At 27 are rings, which are attached to the outer end of said supporting-arm, one ring loosely engaging each of the poles 10, so that said poles may freely slide through the same. When the bucket is down, the outer end of this arm is supported by the rope 28, which rope is fast at one end to said arm, while the opposite end passes up around the loose pulley 29` and has a counterbalance-weight '.30 hung to it. l/Vhen the bucket has been filled,

it is raised to the surface of the water, when it engages the rings 27 in the end of arm 26, and this end of the'arm then rises up withv the bucket and follows the movement of the same. In order to allow the said arm to rise with the bucket, I have pivoted the same on the rack 33, which latter is attached to the under v ,side of the said arm 26. At 34 is a notched disk also mounted on and fixed to s'aid shaft 31. The lock-lever 35 is pivoted to the boom at 36, extending up back of the arm, and has its upper end bent off at an angle, as atv 37, to rest on top of the arm 26. At 38is a projection or tooth on said lock-lever, that engages one of the notches in the disk 34. At 39 is a roll supported from the arm 40, which arm'is hung on the shaft 31. This roll extends over the top of the arm to prevent the rack from rising' out of mesh with the gear.

The construction of the bucket 41 and its operating' mechanism is much the same as that of the ordinary bucket of this type, with the exception that in my improved construction 1 have extended the shaft 42, to which l have pivotally hung the supporting-poles 11 instead of connecting them rigidly to the guide-rods 43 43. Therefore in my improved construction the bucket guiderods and all of the attending mechanism may be swung off at an angle to the poles in order thatthe bucket may accommodate itself to the unevenness of the surface of the soilwith which it comes in contact.

The operation ofthe machine is further described as follows: When this type of bucket is dropped .to the bottom-of the river, it is opened in the usual way by mechanism not shown but well understood by those skilled in their use. ln closing this bucket again a con- IOO IIO

siderable power has to be exerted through the wire-rope connection 25, the strain of which naturally has a tendency to raise the bucket. Then, again, as hereinbefore described, in attempting to close the jaws of this bucket when it is resting on hard bottom, the natural tendency being to rise instead of embedding itself into the hard material, the strain is again materially increased. Under the above conditions it will be seen that a great strain must be withstood by the poles and by the .boom 2, that supports the whole from its end. It is found in practice that under the severe strains to which the poles are subjected they have a natural tendency to buckle and break, to pre vent which 1 have constructed the supportingarm 26, which is hung at one end from the boom 2 and is automatically locked thereon from moving endwise by the mechanism above described, which arm reaches out to engage said poles as near the waters edge as practical. The bucket on being raised when reaching the surface of the water engages the arm and carries the outer end up with it. As this arm is raised the end 3T of the lock-bar 35 is also raised, withdrawing the tooth 38, which unlocks the disk 34, leaving the gear 32 free to turn, and the arm is carried forward to accommodate itself to the position of the suspended bucket. As the bucket is again low ered the arm follows it down until the counterbalance-weight 3Q on the end of the suspending-cord 28 brings up against the stop. As this arm falls it naturally swings back into position, riding on the face of the gear 32.

When said arm has dropped a predetermined distance, the tooth 38 on said lock-bar 35 enters one of the notches in the disk 34, and said arm is locked and securely held from an endwise movement. As before stated, said disk and gearare [ixed to the same shaft 31, and when the disk is locked the gear can no longer rotate, and as the teeth in the rack, which is secured to the arm, engage those in the gear said arm is fixed from a longitudinal movement.

My invention is not restricted to the precise construction and arrangement of parts herein shown and described nor to the various details thereof, as the same may be modified or rearranged in various particulars without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, one practical embodiment of which has been herein illustrated and described without attempting to show all of the various forms and modifications in which my invention might be embodied.

Having thus described my invention, what l claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a device of the character described, a boom, a pole-supported bucket suspended from said boom, an arm for engaging and stitfening said poles below said boom, and

means for locking said arm against an endwise movement.

2. In a device of the character described, a boom, a bucket, poles supporting said bucket from said boom, an arm to engage said poles below said boom and support them against bending and breaking, and means for automatically locking said arm against an endwise movement.

3. In a device of the character described, a boom, a bucket, poles supporting said bucket .from said boom, an arm hung from said boom and engaging said poles below the outer end of said boom to support said poles against bending and breaking.

4. In a device of the character described, a boom, a bucket, poles simporting said bucket from said boom, an automatically-adjustable arm hung from said boom and engaging said. poles below the outer end of said boom to support said poles against bendingl and breaking.

5. ln a device of the character described, a boom, a bucket, poles supporting said bucket from said boom, a supporting-arm engaging said poles, said arm being supported from said boom and means for locking said arm against moving endwise.

6. In a device of the character described, a boom, a bucket, poles supporting said bucket from said boom, a supporting-arm engaging said poles, said arm being supported from said boom and means for automatically locking said arm against moving endwise.

7. ln a device of the character described, a boom, a pole-supported bucket, means whereby said poles may be locked in any desired position against vertical movement and means for supporting said poles below said boom.

8. fln a device of the character described, a boom, a bucket, poles supporting said bucket from said boom, means whereby said bucket will automatically adjust itself to the uneven surface of the material it engages to prevent the bending and breaking of the said pole.

9. ln a device of the characterdescribed, a boom, a bucket, poles supporting said bucket from said boom, means whereby said bucket will automatically adjust itself to the uneven surface of the material it engages to prevent the bending and breaking of thesaid poles, and means for preventing said bo'om from rising while said bucket is being closed.

l0. In a device of the character described, a boom, a bucket, poles supporting said bucket from said boom, means beneath the boom for exerting a downward tension on the outer end of the boom when the bucket is being closed.

11. In a device of the character described, a boom, a bucket, poles supporting said bucket from said boom, means located beneath the boom and adapted to follow the motion of the swinging boom and exert a downward tension thereon when the bucket is being' closed.

12. lIn a device of the character described, a

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boom, a bucket, poles Supporting said bucket from said boom, flexible means adapted to follow the swinging motion of the same and eX- ert a downward tension thereon when the bucket is being closed.

13. lin :L device of the character described, a boom pivotally hung, a bucket, poles supporting said bucket from said boom, means including n pulley adapted to travel with thev IO movement of the swinging boom, a rope led from the outer portion of Suid boom over said pulley for the purpose of exerting a downward tension on Said boom while the bucket is being closed.

ln testimony whereof I have hereunto set I5 my hand this 26th day otl April, A. D. 1904.

JOSEPH LYONS SEARFOSS; In presence ot'- GEoRGn CURTIS MORGAN',

CHARLES E. HICKEY. 

